Michael whilst Sue's in the UK

Kaituna Valley 27 July 2013

View from the Banks Peninsula over the Port Hills to the Southern Alps

Out walking with Ed.  Following a discussion about why our height meant we didn't have good balance, he fell in the river.

Monument Hill 8 October 2013

An early morning cloud filled Lyttleton Harbour

View from Monument Hill on the Banks Peninsula

Peak Hill 13 October 2013

Alan atop Peak Hill. Lake Colerdige and the Southern Alps in the distance







 

The descent of Peak Hill - the snow was thigh deep in places

 

Castle Hill Rocks

3 November
Castle Hill is south-west of Christchurch on the way to Arthur's Pass in the Southern Alps. We managed to leave our lunch behind in Christchurch so stopped in Springfield to stock up before going on to Castle Hill which is about an hour and a half from Christchurch I guess. The huge grey boulders cover a large area, are set on beautiful bright green grass and have the snow capped peaks of the Alps for a backdrop. They are water eroded remnants of limestone formed when much of New Zealand was covered by the sea and you can clearly see the channels and basins carved by water, millions of years ago. They are very impressive and have been used for filming some Narnia scenes, also regularly used by climbers. We spent the afternoon wandering around, climbing up to the highest point then round to the back where an area is fenced off to protect rare plants.

After a good walk round we drove a bit further and stopped at the Cave Stream. This is a limestone cavern with a stream flowing through it and it's possible to wade through the length of it if you don't mind walking in pitch darkness up to your waist in ice-cold water. The image below is the entrance to the cave. I don't plan to get any closer but Mike's planning a work trip there so I guess he'll be giving it a go sometime soon . . .

Akaroa on the Banks Peninsular

Saturday 26 October
Akaroa, being on the Banks Peninsular, is not really that far from Christchurch and you can visit for the day, but we decide to get to know it a bit better and drive over there on Saturday morning for the w/e. The weather is bright and sunny and warm but forecast is for plenty of wind later.

Boat houses on the way to Onawe

The Banks is made up of two huge ancient volcanoes, one creating Lyttleton Harbour and the other Akaroa Harbour. I’d not been to Akaroa before and looking down from the crater rim it’s a really beautiful harbour. Before reaching the little town we stopped at the Onawe peninsula. This is an old Maori Pa site, a series of small hills sticking up out of the western end of the harbour looking for all the world like the humps of a sea monster. The plan was to walk along the humps avoiding getting our feet wet if possible.

Having parked by the boat houses we walked around the little hills to the main island from which this picture is taken

Unfortunately there has been a land slip and the path over the tops is closed but as the tide’s turning we don’t get too wet as we walk around the rocks to the largest island. The base rock is compressed sand with bright orange layers forming patterns. We do a loop walk to the Pa at the highest point and back again choosing the coastal path on our return with strange rusty metal parts underfoot  and glorious views of the harbour.



Beautiful patterns in orange rock

Arriving in Akaroa we find a great place for lunch (Vangoris -- best Western food so far in South Island according to Mike), check into the Youth Hostel, and then wander round exploring the town. We visit the i-site and plan a circular walk up to Stony Bay Peak the next day.

The small jetty at Akaroa on a bright, windy day

Sunday 27 October

Set off early for a long steep climb almost straight up to the peak. One of those walks where you can see your destination right from the start. A beautiful morning with great views of the harbour below and a ring of hills above all the way up. A long section of the climb is an old drovers’ trail which then becomes a stony track between areas of flowering gorse. Eventually we reach the saddle where the wind is ripping through us and the path turns to the right for the final climb up to the top.

Looking up the drovers track to the top of Stony Peak

 



Nearly at the top looking down on Akaroa. Onawe in the distance

Strangely enough it’s a little less windy up here and we enjoy a wander and a sit down with the views below us. The path down starts well as we walk in a south-easterly direction on the far side of the mountain over-looking the Pacific. It then joins a gravel road which takes us all the way down to Akaroa. Great dinner at Vangoris.



Standing proud at the top

 

Monday 28 November

We want to explore the Hinewai Reserve before returning to Christchurch. Find the car park and do a little walk through bush and broom getting a bit wet in the drizzle. Then walk on down to the lodge on the reserve. You can book to stay here ($18 a night!) so might be a fun place to stay. Set up like a hostel with cooking facilities but any profits go towards the upkeep of the Reserve which is run by a Hugh Wilson who has managed the Reserve since 1987. He’s an expert on the botany of the Banks and has written books about it. Looks a great place to stay so we’ll be back I’m sure. Later on, driving on the Crater Rim we overtake an old bearded chap on his push bike and it turns out to be the man himself.


Lovely collection of old settlers buildings

We carry on to the NE coastal settlement of Okains Bay which has a museum famous for its Maori collection. The place is nothing but a few buildings and a beach but the Museum is fascinating, being a collection of old settler buildings, lots of wakas, and a huge collection of Maori artefacts rivalling anything you could see in the Auckland Museum. Amazing for such a tiny out-of-the-way place. Head for home.

Lake Tekapo and Aoraki Mount Cook

19-21 October

I landed at Christchurch Airport on the Friday morning (18 October) having been away almost exactly one month. Mike has booked a w/e away staying on Lake Tekapo in the Southern Alps. It’s a small town with a strip of cafes, bars and adventure outfits, famous for its air clarity, a world heritage site for that in fact, so we’re hoping to do a spot of star gazing while we’re here.

Looking across Lake Tekapo with the snow-topped peaks all around

Having booked into our smart b&b we set off for a walk around the town and down by the gloriously turquoise blue lake, ending up with a soak in the local hot pools. Good Japanese restaurant for dinner. We’ve been given lots of info by the landlady and plan to walk to the base of Mount Cook the next day.

The car park for the Hooker Valley walk at the foot of the mountains

Turns out to be a fine day and we set off in good time driving for about an hour to Mount Cook village, buying lunch and setting off on our walk up the Hooker Valley. The day is sunny and warm but there’s a lot of snow around on the mountain tops and a chill in the air.



The first of three swing bridges with lines of moraine ahead

We start off walking over a landscape shaped by glacial deposits looking rather like man-made dykes, the path is good and quite well-used and we can see Mount Cook looming up ahead of us: a perfect pyramid-shaped mountain peak, snow and ice shining in the sunlight. We hear a distant rumble and watch as an avalanche spreads slowly down the mountain side above us.

 

Looking up at the mountain range from the second swing bridge

There are three rivers to cross on our journey up the valley, each one traversed by a fairly newly built  swing bridge. In fact the its clear the path has recently been upgraded as there are new board walks across wet areas as well as fun stretches where we have to walk along stepping stones to cross streams. It’s bit early in the year for much in the way of flowers but we spot a large patch of beautiful Mount Cook lilies.

 

Mount Cook lilies which are actually the world's largest buttercup

At the top of the valley we come to the end of the trail where there’s a large picnic area beside Lake Hooker and Mount Cook rises majestically at the far side of the lake. The lake of course is freezing: we can see the glacier at its far end and there are a couple of mini icebergs floating in it, but Mike has to go for a paddle.

 

Paddling in the icy waters

Aoraki Mt Cook with glacier melting into the lake below

 

After lunch we retrace our steps and as its fairly early we head across to Lake Tasman a short drive away. It takes about an hour to walk across the litchen covered moraine and up a hill to view the Lake and glacier. Here there are a lot more icebergs and the glacier is on a much bigger scale. Quite a chilling spot.

 

Icebergs on Lake Tasman

The Observatory on the top of Mount John over Lake Tekapo

The next day we drive up to the top of Mount John and walk around the Observatory buildings looking down on the town before heading back to Christchurch. The evening skies have had a layer of cloud so star gazing’s not been an option over the w/e but I’m sure we’ll be back.

Local Beaches in Mid-Winter

Christchurch boasts some pretty spectacular beaches, which we’re getting to know gradually, and Mike did quite a lot of beach walking while I was away in the UK for the Summer. So this is a collection of images taken in June and July, mid-Winter in the Southern hemisphere.

 

16 June. A very grey damp day on New Brighton Beach, taken from the end of the pier. New Brighton is about 5 miles due east of Christchurch, the nearest beach. I stayed in the café while Mike got wet and windswept
 

23 June. Waikuku Beach at the northern end where the Ashley River meets the sea. These beaches are all in the large curve of Pegasus Bay. Christchurch and the Banks Peninsular are at the southern end of the Bay

23 June. We were just on our way back to the car when we saw a large group of people going swimming up ahead of us. By the time we caught up with them they were mostly out of the water. We realised it was mid-Winter w/e and this was the kiwi equivalent of an annual Christmas swim. There must have been about 40 people, the water certainly warmer than it is in the UK at Christmas




14 July. The coast road leading to Sumner was one of the areas worst hit by the earthquake and much of the cliff crumbled down onto the coast road. These houses are now teetering on the edge of the cliff, many were lost.



14 July. The road below the cliff was cleared and these shipping containers were placed  all along under the cliff to prevent further falls onto the road. They are mostly still there.



14 July. Waimairi Beach south of New Brighton the way to Sumner



Kaikoura 1-3 June

It's the Queen's Birthday w/e and she's kindly given us the Monday off so we decide to go to Kaikoura for the w/e. We had driven through on the way down to Christchurch at Easter but only stopped for lunch and didn't explore the area so we decide to return. It’s about a 3 hour drive north and much of the latter part of the journey is beside the coast so wonderful views along the way.

The beach at Kaikoura with snow-topped mountain range across the bay

We arrive for a fish & chip lunch, then after dumping car and bags at our b&b, decide to do a wander around the Kaikoura Peninsular Walkway, going past the seal colony. Last time we’d seen only one or two seals but at this time of year there are hundreds lolling around on the rocks and dipping in and out of the water. The peninsular is surrounded on three sides by rocky limestone tables and small sandy coves and at the seal colony you climb from the shore up to the tops of the cliffs, so great views along the coast in both directions.

View from the top of the Peninsular Walkway. Whale Bay is to the right. There are many seals dotted around this coast
but too distant to see

At Whale Bay we descend steps, planning to return along the limestone slabs at sea level. It’s a beautiful calm place in the pearly afternoon light. We notice a couple down on the beach and approach them to see what they’re collecting. They have handfuls of what they call ‘Les Yeux des Lucie’ (they're French). We couldn’t work out exactly what they were: my best guess being fossils, so we begin searching for them too, ending up with 20 or 30 in my pockets.

Looking for fossils in the cliffs on the way down to Whale Bay

Eventually we tear ourselves away, pockets full, and continue walking back around the coast over the rocks. Rounding a rock at the foot of the cliff we virtually bump into a large aggressive bull seal who barks and charges at us. Mike rushes through along the path but I hang back effectively cutting myself off. Luckily another couple are also walking past and a kind kiwi woman takes my hand and we walk briskly past the barking beast.

Further along we turn a corner and the evening sun breaks out below the cloud bathing everything in a glorious soft orange glow.

Sun breaking through

Soft light at sunset on the walk back to Kaikoura

Next morning we booked into a whale watching trip but rough seas are forecast so we decide to cancel. Instead we drive up the coast a little to see the seal cub nursery. Mike’s been here before and I’ve seen some film of the spectacle, really something not to be missed. We park the car and it’s about a 10 minute walk up alongside a stream to the pool which is below a waterfall.

Seething with seals

On the way up there are baby seals clambering up or down the stream. They are born where the stream meets the sea and while being weaned they use the stream and pool as a nursery gaining skills and developing their strength for life out at sea. How many years this has been happening isn’t clear but it’s a famous natural phenomenon around here and one of the most amazing sights I’ve ever seen. The pool below  is fairly big and is literally seething with sleek little bodies ducking and diving, flipping over and doing somersaults in the air. The most spectacular show, and they’re doing it all just for fun. They obviously become used to visitors watching them and are not the least afraid, some coming out of the water to sniff the feet of the onlookers. Amazing!!

This afternoon the sun’s coming out and we take our picnic lunch to the far side of the Kaikoura peninsular then follow the walkway in the opposite direction, avoiding encounters with seals.

Walkway from southside

On our last morning we walk along the coast north of Kaikoura, beside an old railway track, hoping to get to the bluffs in the distance but we come to a dead end at a tunnel and have to retrace our steps. Early settlers must have lived on this patch of ground between cliffs and the coast as we come upon a grave dated 1846 with George Allbright carved on the headstone. There’s no sign of a house but the undergrowth is pretty dense and anything could be buried under the tangled mass of Banana Passionflower that covers the area with its beautiful dark pink flowers and pendulous fruit.

Proof that the coastline is eroding: a whole train with tracks lie on the beach below the footpath with a new tracks the other side

The beautiful flowers of the Banana Passionflower, native of South America which is unfortunately becoming a weed in
New Zealand, threatening native species. We tried the fruit but it was very sharp, maybe unripe

 

Weekends in May

Saturday 12 May

We plan to do the Mount Cass Walkway but find it’s closed for some reason so we end up driving quite a long way north towards Port Robinson. It’s not easy to find and once there, even more difficult to find a way down to it, but we can see a couple of surfers in the water below so we know it must be possible. There have been a lot of land slippages around here and the usual route no longer exists, but we soon find the right track and descend steeply to the stony beach with bellbirds singing and fantails fluttering around us.

Port Robinson

There’s the remains of an old wharf here, it was obviously quite a large port at one time but now there’s nothing left but the wharf timbers sticking out of the water’s edge. How those guys got their surf boards down here I can’t imagine as it’s quite a scramble. We wander off down the beach but are forced to stop because there are a lot of seals dozing on the rocks and we don’t want to disturb them. Mike finds the sign for the coastal path and scrambles up there but there have been too many slippages and the path is gone so we decide to move on to Gore Bay.

Seal amongst the seaweed and driftwood

 

Cathedral Rocks above Gore Bay

On the way we stop at Cathedral Rocks, some interesting eroded limestone cliffs and then on down to Gore Bay which is beautiful and still shrouded in mist. After lunch we walk up a gully hoping to reach the foot of Cathedral Cliffs but instead it leads us to a lookout over Gore Bay. A beautiful warm day though the mist never quite clears.

Mist over Gore Bay

Saturday 25 May

A lovely sunny w/e ahead of us and we plan a big walk tomorrow and just a quick jaunt to the Port Hills today. There’s a summit road around the volcanic rim separating Christchurch and Lyttleton and we drive up through the suburbs of Cashmere to get there. At The top we turn right along the crest with terrific views across to the snow topped Southern Alps and occasionally down the other side to Lyttleton Harbour. There are also a number of little Reserves along the road which are new to us so we stop at a couple.

Kennedy's Reserve on the Port Hills looking northwest across the Canterbury plains to the snow capped Southern alps

The first is Kennedys Reserve which takes us down a bit on the Christchurch side of the hills and along to the Sign of the Bellbird. Well named there’s beautiful clear bellbird song along the way. The refuge is an open affair which certainly wouldn’t keep the wind out if you had to shelter overnight.

View from the Summit Road across to Lyttleton Harbour opening onto the Pacific

Back to the car and we drive onto Gibraltar Rock and park the car. We walk up to the rock in the company of a family with three small kids but the trail peters out and we’re left forging a path through the undergrowth to get to the foot of the rock itself.  Having determined to climb it and in the presence of the young family we certainly can’t dip out of the venture, but it takes quite a lot of effort to get me up that rock. Definitely a climb not a scramble but eventually we get there with the family close behind. Dad had the littlest on his back and quite how they managed without losing any of the kids over the edge I’m not sure. It’s certainly not something I’d have attempted with 3 little ones, but then these kiwis are tough and start them young. Getting back down again was easier, I just tended to lie down on the near vertical rock and slide.

Mike and me (looking daft) on the top of Gibraltar Rock, Port Hills

Sunday 26 May

We set off at about 8am and drive south west down to the Banks Peninsular, stopping at Little River for breakfast then drive up and over the hills to Pigeon Bay. We park by an old jetty and set off along the edge of the bay which has steep hills either side rather like a fjord. The walk crosses meadows and woodland initially then takes you onto a farm track leading towards the open end of the bay.

Old jetty on Pigeon Bay

There are a lot of cows to squeeze past as they block the foot path. Kiwis seem to graze their cattle as well as their sheep on very steep hillsides over here , unlike the UK. Eventually we’re guided off the farm track and onto open tussock land towards the cliffs where there are large signs warning you against falling over the edge. It’s obvious the land is eroding pretty swiftly here and the cliff edge path is moving further away from the encroaching edge.

Wakaroa Point

This is Wakaroa Point, the end of our walk. The cliffs are impressively high and there are shag colonies dotted around. We eventually retrace our steps and stop in a more sheltered spot for lunch, then make our way back, picking mushrooms along the way. Back at the jetty we bathe our hot feet in the cold water of Pigeon Bay.